DEEP SEA FISHERIES

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 130, 23 August 1927, Page 16

DEEP SEA FISHERIES

DANGER OF DEPLETION ‘DON’T EXPECT TOO MUCH!” “WE must not expect too much from the deep-sea fisheries of New Zealand! After extensive investigations Mr. A. E. Hefford, Chief Inspector of Fisheries, has arrived at this conclusion. In an address, under the auspices of the Auckland Institute, at the University College last night, he made a strong plea for fisheries research as far as the Dominion is concerned. No more fish should be taken out of the sea each year, declared Mr. Hefford, than the quantity naturally reproduced. That was our great problem. For that reason there was every need for a system of fishery statistics as a means of throwing light on the trend of productivity or the tendency to depletion. In reply to a question, the lecturer said: “The best way to test whether the snapper is protected in the spawning season or not is to try to trawl in the Hauraki Gulf after November 15, and see what happens!” The colder and shallower waters, said Mr. Hefford, were much the richer in maritime life. The 1,000 fathoms line ran very close to the East Coast of New Zealand. That might possibly be the reason for the greater abundance of fish on the West Coast. The Hauraki Gulf, however, as Mr. Hefford pointed out, was within the 1,000 fathoms mark.